Starbucks

Let me begin by stating that this is not a complaint about Starbucks' coffee. My tastebuds can't detect any difference in coffee, frankly, so I don't so much care about who roasts their beans, or if its Arabica or Hawaiian or Kenyan.

What I do find a bit confusing is the way that orders are processed. Lately, as I wander from cafe to cafe in search of a place to sit and work for a while, I've been asked a number of times if I want whipped cream on my mocha. I don't mind whipped cream, but the foam is good enough for me, so I typically respond to the negative. In fact, to forestall just this kind of question, I've begun issuing that edict as part of my order in the first place: " mocha, no whip, please". Well, when I placed this very same order at Starbucks, I was given a mocha which was also devoid of foam! What shift of dictionary gave them 'venti' and 'breve' and 'haf-caf', but turned 'whipped cream' into 'foam'?